The zoo's orangutans, with one of the three-year-old twins pictured here, are said to be bored. Photo: Jonathan Wong

At more than 140 years old, Hong Kong zoo is home to almost 400 animals, including three-year-old twin orang-utans and one very bored-looking sloth.

Little seems to have changed since the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens' inception in 1871, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. But the city is studying how to modernise it.

"It's like a menagerie from the turn of the last century," said Dr Jane Grey, the deputy director of the SPCA. "The facilities are very outdated, inadequate and overcrowded."

Watch: Hong Kong zoo under fire for "outdated" facilities

Flamingos are packed into their enclosure tighter than rush-hour commuters on the MTR and their water bowls are made of plastic, which can spread disease.

Sloths are given rocks to climb that they can't grab on to.

And the zoo's pride and joy, a family of orang-utans - with mother and twins Wan Wan and Wah Wah all born in Hong Kong - are in separate enclosures with little more than a few palm trees and a rope to engage with.

The government-run zoo, which is free to enter, is tucked behind Central on the slopes of Victoria Peak. It is subject to a detailed study of its long-term development plan, which the Leisure and Cultural Services Department commissioned in January.

Stakeholders consulted by the Kadoorie Institute of the University of Hong Kong, which will produce a report in December, include the SPCA, Animals Asia and Orangutanaid - all of whom have expressed sincere doubts over the welfare of its animals and recommended that the park be returned to its original status as a botanical garden. "Hong Kong is not the right place to keep animals," said Karina O'Carroll, the animal welfare education manager of Animals Asia, who questioned whether it was appropriate to breed animals at such a small zoo. "Conditions have to be vastly improved," she added.

The zoo, which first began keeping animals in 1975, boasts a strong conservation ethos and currently hosts 10 endangered species. This year, two red-handed tamarins were introduced to the zoo. The monkeys come from the Amazon and are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species, meaning they are critically endangered.

In 2010, a male orang-utan named Vandu arrived from Hungary to mate with the zoo's female Raba, who had twins. She was unable to feed them, and the twins were "rejected".

They now sit in a separate enclosure facing their estranged mother.

"Sadly, the captive orang-utans at the zoo here bear little resemblance to their wild cousins," said Mara McCaffery, founder of Orangutanaid.

"So for me this has nothing to do with 'conservation' of the species for future generations, which is what many zoos purport to be doing."

She said the zoo's orang-utans were "overweight, mentally unstimulated and bored".

A leisure department spokesman said the zoo "attaches great importance to the well-being of the animals under its care as members of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums".

Zoo manager Susan Tam On-kei explained: "As members, we have to adhere to a code of ethics. But the organisation recognises diversity across the world - there are no universal standards."

Grey claimed that these guidelines were not very strong. "It really depends on what level of welfare you want," she said.

"If Hong Kong wants to consider itself a world-class city then it has to have world-class animal welfare."

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Zoo's animals are 'trapped in 19th century'

Those cages are terrible, no more animals should be introduced to the zoo.

DinGao Aug 18th 20143:51pm

A predictaby defensive and unimaginative posture from the LCSD.
Since all senior officials regularly visit Singapore for ideas, maybe the LCSD zoo officials could visit the Singapore Zoo where they will find the orangs in a huge quasi-jungle enclosure with all manner of stimulating apparatus to enjoy.

Jacksoldman Aug 18th 20141:15pm

I wouldn't mind paying a reasonable and moderate fee to improve the zoo. Animal husbandry I'll leave to the experts, but if an admission fee is what it takes to improve the quality of life for the animals plus improve the experience for consumers at the zoo then it is a sound solution. I was surprised in fact that HK zoo was free.

lucifer Aug 18th 201410:55pm

Why not improve the conditions? Maybe even buy some adjacent land........ARE YOU KIDDING? This is prime speculating land. They would rather bulldoze the park and build 200 sq ft apartments....

smileavenue Aug 18th 20144:59pm

Asia's World City has a Victorian menagerie. Singapore which is not Asia's World City has the best zoo in the World.

dascaldasf Aug 18th 201412:01pm

Appalling indeed! This is what happens when no-one stand up for these animals. A run-of-the-mill management needs to do more!

HK-Explorer Aug 19th 20148:01am

The government has the money, the space is there (the zoological garden's are big). Why don't they just take 500 Million and build an awesome zoo. It could be a awesome small zoo with maybe double the number of animals as today in nice enclosures and people will come. (they should also improve the method getting there)
However the first thing they should do is fire all the staff . I went there 2 weeks ago and never saw a lazier bunch in my life. From not being able to explain in Cantonese which way was Admiralty to the education area that has been cut in half (other half seems to be staff hangout area and upstairs is now closed).
I just saw allot of staff just standing around chatting with each other.

BabyMan Aug 18th 20148:57am

Just a reflection if how the city views living space

zvichadashote Aug 18th 20148:14am

The only way the zoo will be upgraded and improved is to elect one of the orangutangs as Chief Executive in 2017.